Nearly 10 years ago one of the largest human-caused disasters in history unfolded in the Gulf of Mexico. The Macondo well (MC252) blowout followed the explosion and sinking of the offshore oil platform Deepwater Horizon. Over the next 87 days, as Gulf Coast residents and the rest of the world watched in dismay, oil and gas poured out of the wellhead.
The spill eventually spread over an estimated 29,000 square miles and over 1,300 miles of coastal beaches, wetlands, and mangroves. British Petroleum (BP), the owner of MC52, quickly recognized the potential scope of the disaster for the ecosystems and residents of the Gulf and dedicated $500 million of non-penalty funds over a 10-year period to the study of the impacts of the spill. The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) was formed from these funds. Twenty experts were appointed to serve as a research board to ensure complete academic independence and scientific integrity of the funded research. Ten individuals were selected by BP, and 10 more were selected by each of the five Gulf states, two per state. This group of 20 scientists set about distributing funds to the scientific community, ensuring high-quality research would be conducted in the immediate aftermath of the spill and for the next 10 years.
A decade of discovery
Now in the 10th year of GoMRI, scientists, natural resource managers, emergency responders and extension professionals have gathered in Tampa, Florida, at the final Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference (GoMOSES). While here, they are sharing what we have learned over the past decade and come together to discuss the legacy of GoMRI and the enduring impacts to the Gulf of Mexico.
Sitting in these rooms, I’ve learned about new technologies for tracking sharks, the value of microbes in oil spill response and much more.
Discovery isn’t just limited to science, though. During this week-long conference many speakers have shared their stories of community outreach and engagement. Steve Sempier, Mississippi-Alabama Sea grant Consortium’s outreach and deputy director, spoke of Sea Grant’s involvement in community outreach in the immediate aftermath of the spill and of the six years of work by the oil spill science outreach team. Other extension leaders, including Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant’s education director, Tina Miller-Way, shared their stories of educating other educators and lessons learned from working with communities before, during and long after disaster strikes.
Synthesizing legacy
The research board has requested that the researchers funded through GoMRI come together into several core areas to synthesize the work that has been done and to drawn new insights and understanding from the collective whole. Through these synthesis efforts researchers are answering five key questions: What did we know before Deepwater Horizon? What have we learned since then? What major gaps in knowledge still exist? How can we make use of what we have learned? And where do we go from here?
The oil spill science outreach team is working in partnership with the core areas to develop outreach materials that will make the synthesized information available and understandable to our many stakeholders in the Gulf of Mexico. We will also be hosting a series of state-level events over the next several months to commemorate the work done through GoMRI and its contribution to each of the Gulf states. The events in Mississippi and Alabama are scheduled for this coming fall, so stay tuned!!!
The value of teamwork
Perhaps the best part of this conference has been the opportunity to get together with my fellow oil spill outreach teammates. We work throughout the Gulf, sharing oil spill science and working with local communities, but it is only at these types of events that we are all in the same place. I am grateful for their enthusiasm and dedication to our work as we continue to meet new people and share our products. Perhaps the life-long bonds that have formed over the past 10 years is the most enduring legacy of GoMRI.